Mobility scooters have become extremely popular in recent years, with good reason. While persons who are unable to walk at all have no alternative to a conventional manual or electric wheelchair, persons of restricted mobility can move around very well with a scooter. These electric, battery powered vehicles are constructed more along the lines of a motor scooter. Mobility scooters have two rear wheels with a seat mounted over them, a flat floorboard for the feet, and a set of handlebars that turn one or two front wheels. The rider's feet rest on each side of the steering column. The seat generally swivels, giving the rider ease of mounting and dismounting.
Mobility scooters often are used by persons who can walk, but lack the strength, stamina or leg function to walk very long or far. An advantage of using a scooter is the scooter is generally lightweight and easily portable. Persons lacking great physical strength can easily disassemble a scooter in minutes and lift it into a car trunk. In contrast, power wheelchairs are heavy and generally require the use of a van and a special lift.
Scooters are maneuverable enough for use within apartment or home, portable enough to take to the store, sturdy enough to ride on the sidewalk. Some models can climb stairs or curbs and most models can be equipped with a cargo trailer. Mobility scooters do possess one distinct drawback in that there is no capacity at all for a passenger to ride on the scooter. Many couples in retirement communities or assisted living communities are left with no alternative but to possess two scooters.
The prior art has put forth several designs for transport trailers attachable to mobility devices. Among these are:
U.S. Pat. No. 8,573,625 to Ronald P. Gramme describes a riding platform device attachable to the back of a personal assistive mobility device, and more particularly to a removable and adjustable platform device for attachment to an electric or gas powered scooter that allows a companion to be transported along with the scooter and its driver, and thereby keep pace with an individual with limited mobility.
US Patent Publication 2013/0307234 to Judy Ann Anders describes a trailer and method for transporting a person adapted to be attached to a mobility scooter. The trailer includes a platform base supported on at least two wheels, at least one seat on the platform base, and a hitching assembly to attach the platform base to the motorized scooter.
US Patent Publication 2012/0248720 to Thomas Grato describes a utility transport wagon to be used with mobility scooters or other mobility device designed to carry cargo or children passengers, and a hitch system to adapt a mobility scooter or power chair to tow the wagon. The body is canopied and the floor is molded to form two seats at each end of the wagon. Located at each end of the wagon floor is a hinged backrest that folds flush with the floor when not in use. The canopy is supported by four collapsible or telescoping poles, these poles fitting into cylindrical openings at each top corner of the wagon's sides. The poles collapse into the openings when not in use. The front wheels of the wagon are mounted on each end of a pivoting, steering axle.
None of these prior art references describe the present invention.